Picks and Pans: Music

Harry Connick Jr.'s Christmas Picks

($12.98) This 17-cut compilation offers up Crow at her moody best ("Strong Enough") and her most radio-ready ("Soak Up the Sun"). A deluxe version ($24.98) comes with a DVD.

Rolling Stones ($29.99) Fans will get plenty of satisfaction from this four-DVD collection (available only at Best Buy through the holidays) featuring three shows-with three different set lists—filmed during the group's 2003 Licks tour.

Johnny Cash ($79.98) The Man in Black may have died in September, but his legacy lives on with this stirring box set featuring 79 tracks (64 of them previously unreleased).

($249.99)Hear Dylan as you've never heard him before on this collection featuring SACD (super audio CD) remastering of 15 of his classic recordings. The discs work in both SACD and conventional CD players.

New Order ($59.98) This definitive four-CD retrospective—divided into singles, album tracks, club mixes and live recordings—shows how the British synth-pop pioneers established a new techno order.

Various Artists ($64.98) Fast, furious and funny tracks like the Ramones' "Blitzkrieg Bop" and the Clash's "White Riot" give this celebratory four-CD collection just the right kick.

No Doubt ($12.98) From the infectious punk of "Just a Girl" to the reggae-flavored pop of "Hey Baby," this disc leaves no doubt about Gwen Stefani and crew's appeal. A deluxe version ($49.98) comes with a disc of B-sides and rarities, plus two DVDs.

($46.98) Compiling 13 individual CD singles from the Wild Boys' early-'80s heyday, like 1981's "Girls on Film," this will have fans wanting to grow out their mullets again.

($59.98) Among the 80 tracks are all the smokin' hits, including those from 1983's smash album Eliminator. The limited-edition box is especially cool: It's constructed as a BBQ shack.

($69.98) Whether leading his trio on "Straighten Up and Fly Right" or crooning hits like "Unforgettable," Cole delights with his indelible interpretations of America's songbook.

Various Artists (CD, $50-$60; DVD, $119.95) Inspired by the fascinating PBS series, this five-CD, 116-track collection is a treasure trove. Also available is a seven-DVD set featuring the full TV series plus extras.

>XM Satellite Radio

It may be the grooviest thing to hit radio since WKRP in Cincinnati's Doctor Johnny Fever. The wallet-size Delphi XM SKYFi Radio receiver ($129.99) pops out of the snazzy boom box (an additional $99.99) and can be hooked up to existing car and home stereos. For $9.99 a month, you get 101 digital stations playing everything from classical to classic rock, many commercial-free, plus rare cuts, concerts, news, sports and comedy. Another cool feature: As a song plays, its title and the artist's name get prominently shown on the display.

>He's ringing in the season with a new Christmas disc, Harry for the Holidays, so we asked the singer-pianist what music gets him in the yuletide spirit.

"The Christmas Song," Nat King Cole "Just the sound of his voice reminds you of that time of year."

"White Christmas," Bing Crosby "It sounds like one of those old Norman Rockwell paintings."

"Blue Christmas," Elvis Presley "It's Elvis. It reminds me of when I was a kid."

"Wonderful Christmastime," Paul McCartney "Few people can come up with a new Christmas classic."